1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates in general to lighting assemblies, and more particularly, to a canopy light having moisture control. It will be understood that such a light is configured for use in association with a number of different structures, and not limited for use in association with a canopy. However, the canopy light is well suited for use in association with the lighting of a canopy by coupling to a lower surface of the canopy.
2. Background Art
The use of canopy lights is known in the art. While there is no particular limit to applications, such canopy lights are, for example, utilized in association with gas station canopies. In such an environment, the canopy lights are exposed to the outside elements, including water in the form of cleaning fluids, as well as rain, sleet and snow. Thus, it is necessary to preclude the entry of moisture into the canopy light, as such moisture may damage the electronics within the light.
However, it is difficult to seal such structures, as the heat generated by the LED lights increases the pressure within the cavity of the light. Then when the light is turned off, the pressure reduces. This results in a pressure cycling within the cavity of the light. In such instances it is desirable to vent the excess pressure to the outside.
Problematically, the need to vent the cavity due to the pressure cycling and the need to limit ingress of moisture and fluid into the cavity impose difficult design considerations. In many instances, multiple structures are formed and coupled together in order to isolate each of these design requirements. For example, the light elements and the remainder of the electronic components (power supply and surge protector) may be isolated from each other and in separate structures which are coupled together. Additionally, due to limitations in the designs, many canopy lights are designed for increased internal pressure. While such a solution may be operatively acceptable, designing the components for increased internal pressure increases the complexity and the cost of such canopy lights.